Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability

Citation

(2012), "Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 13 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2012.24913caa.005

Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability

Article Type: Books and resources From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 13, Issue 3

Edited by Donald Maclurcan and Natalia RadywylCRC PressLondon2011335 pp.£38.99ISBN 9781439855768

The rise of collaborative consumption, peer-to-peer systems, and not-for-profit social enterprise heralds the emergence of a new era of human collectivity. Increasingly, this consolidation stems from an understanding that big-banner issues – such as climate change – are not the root causes of our present global predicament. There is a growing and collective view that issues such as this are actually symptoms of a much more vicious, seemingly insurmountable condition: our addiction to economic, consumption, and population growth in a world of finite resources.

Nanotechnology and Global Sustainability uses nanotechnology – the product of applied scientific knowledge to control and utilize matter at atomic and molecular scales – as a lens through which to explore the interrelationship between innovation, politics, economy, and sustainability. This groundbreaking book addresses how stakeholders can actively reshape agendas to create positive and sustainable futures through this latest controversial, cross-sectoral technology. It moves beyond issues of efficiency, productivity, and utility, exploring the insights of 22 contributors from around the world, whose work spans the disciplines of science and the humanities. Their combined knowledge, reinforced with various case studies, introduces an exciting prospect – how we can innovate without economic growth.